Transcription downloaded from https://sermons.meetfaith.org/sermons/39894/wise-ones-win/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] Well, good morning again and welcome to Faith. I'm glad we're here together today in this short series that we're starting today in the book of Proverbs. We are looking at wisdom and that wisdom comes from God. We'll be looking at the wisdom of God provided through Solomon.

[0:21] Solomon is the man who really wanted to be wise. When God asked him what he wanted, he asked for wisdom.

[0:31] He could have asked for just about anything he wanted. And that's exactly what God did. He offered Solomon to give him whatever Solomon wanted.

[0:44] We see that in 1 Kings 3 and verse 5 at Gibeon. The Bible says, The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, Now, think about this. If God were to appear to you and ask you this question, what would our answer be?

[1:07] God said, Ask, What shall I give you? Now, think about it. If God asked you that, what would you want? Ask. Anything you want, I would give you.

[1:21] Well, we may ask for maybe a bigger house, or maybe a better truck, or a new car, or a lot of money, or prestige. Whatever. We may ask for certain things. I know a lot of people would ask for material things, because, after all, the God of the universe is wanting to fulfill your wildest dream.

[1:48] And here is your opportunity. And the thing is, we have to be careful that for which we ask. And I know some of you have seen those cartoons where the person finds a lad's lamp, and they rub it, the genie comes out, and they ask him for a wish, but that wish didn't come out as they planned.

[2:09] It's the beginning of some great jokes. But when God asked Solomon that very question, Solomon said that he wanted something.

[2:21] What was that? 1 Kings 3, verses 12 and 14. Behold, I have done according to your words.

[2:33] See, I have given you a wise and understanding heart. Solomon says, God, I have people to lead. I have people that I need to reign over and that I need to take care of.

[2:47] God, give me wisdom so that I can lead your people in your ways. That's what Solomon's request was. He wanted the wisdom to lead God's people.

[2:58] And so God says, see, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.

[3:14] And verse 13. Now, here's the thing. Solomon asked for a wise heart and understanding to lead his people. So what God does is, based on the humble and the request that Solomon made, that was a selfless request, God then goes on to give him that for which he did not ask, but for which a lot of people would ask.

[3:46] He says, verse 13, and I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.

[4:03] So God says, I'm going to give you riches beyond your wildest imagination. As a matter of fact, I'm going to distill upon you more honor than any king has ever had and any will have.

[4:14] Kings would come from afar and would bring him gold, would bring him jewels. Can you imagine that? To be so wise, to be so rich, and to be so renowned, that kings from around the world would come and give you gifts.

[4:31] That's because God blessed Solomon because he passed for something that was selfless and to lead his people. Verse 14 says, so, now here's the caveat.

[4:44] So if you walk in my ways, and keep my statutes, walk in my ways to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, he says, what will I do?

[4:57] I'll lengthen your days. I will give you a long life. And so Solomon had riches, honor, and lived a long, quiet, relatively quiet life because he asked God for wisdom.

[5:14] So as we're looking in the book of Proverbs, the book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom. It formed from two words, pro, for, for, or words, four words.

[5:27] It is a book where Solomon has distilled the wisdom of God, also wisdom of the world. What I mean by wisdom of the world is he looked and saw how things worked.

[5:41] And so he distilled all of that into, if you want to have good relationships, then you need to do this. If you want to keep hold of your money, then this is what you need to do.

[5:54] So what he's doing is he's giving, he's giving wisdom, he's giving wise words, he is giving a way for us to live life in a way that life works best.

[6:06] And that's what, that's what the book of Proverbs truly is. So Solomon was given a wise and an understanding heart. He was also known as riches, honor, and a long life.

[6:19] And what the book of Proverbs does is it reveals the wisdom that God gave to Solomon. And as Solomon writes this book of wisdom, he then takes this wisdom that God gave him.

[6:34] And along with that wisdom, God gave Solomon the ability to see the way life works best and to be able to teach that wisdom to us. As a matter of fact, just about anything that you want to know about in terms of how to make life better, how to make life richer, and how to please God is included in Proverbs.

[7:00] Do you want to have better relationships? Read Proverbs. Do you want to make more money? Read Proverbs. Do you want to hold on to your money? Read Proverbs.

[7:12] Do you want to have better success at work? Read the book of Proverbs. Oh, pastor, that's not all in there. Yes, it is. All of that's in there.

[7:22] As a matter of fact, if you ever, if somebody asks you, would you co-sign my loan? You say, no, and run away. Why? Because Proverbs says, don't do it. He says, don't be sure of you for somebody else.

[7:34] He says, because then you, it's like a noose around your neck, because then you're stuck for whatever they do. And so, like, practical stuff like that is what Solomon dispenses for the wisdom of God through Solomon.

[7:49] And it's a guidebook for gaining wisdom and for using wisdom. And here's the thing. You want to lead winning lives.

[8:00] A life that honors and pleases God. A life that, at the end of your life, you can look back and say, I really don't have any regrets. I took the time that I needed to enjoy my family and take care of them.

[8:16] I worked hard. Played hard. Enjoyed life. Loved God. Followed Jesus. Kept up. I told the truth.

[8:29] I had nothing to hide. I lived with an ethical life. And all of these things. If you want to end your life that way. If you want your life to end that way. Then, live according to the wisdom that Solomon gives us in Proverbs.

[8:47] So, as we look at what we see here in the Proverbs. First of all, we're going to be in verses 1 through 6 this morning. What we see, first of all, is the purpose.

[9:01] We'll see a purpose plan. And the purpose. The purpose of Proverbs is to teach the wisdom of God. So, as we take this writing or these writings of Solomon.

[9:15] The purpose is to dispense wisdom. To dispense the knowledge of God in order to properly use that knowledge for his purposes.

[9:26] Let's take a look here. Verses 1 through 4. Proverbs of Solomon. The son of David. King of Israel.

[9:36] So, this is who wrote these wise sayings. Verse 2. Why? What's the purpose? To know wisdom and instruction.

[9:47] To perceive the words of understanding. To be able to hear them. To be able to perceive and understand these words. To receive the instruction of wisdom.

[10:00] You know, it's one thing to hear wisdom. But it's another thing to be instructed by. That's right. And to learn from it.

[10:10] And to apply it to our life. And to live it out. Because you know someone and ask for their wise counsel. And there are a lot of people who do that.

[10:23] And then they go and do something stupid. What's the point of hearing wisdom? What's the point of reading the book of Proverbs? If we're not ready to put it into practice.

[10:35] And so, Solomon says. He said this to know wisdom. The proverb of Solomon. The proverb of Solomon was to know wisdom and instruction to perceive the words of understanding.

[10:48] To receive the instruction of wisdom. Justice. Judgment. Equity. See, all these things have a very practical application to life. We all want justice.

[11:01] And good judgment. And also equity. For things to be fair. See verse 4. To give prudence to the simple.

[11:13] Not everyone has the same measure of common sense. If you lack common sense. Look at Proverbs.

[11:23] And it can instruct us. I would have better sense to the young man. Knowledge. And discretion. So, we see that Proverbs is giving.

[11:34] Is imparting wisdom. And the human mind has better potential. Think about it. Science tells us that there's so many. So much of our brain that we do not use.

[11:47] That that is just not. It's available there. But we don't use all of it. Think about all of the modern marvels. Or think of the. Excuse me. The marvels of history.

[12:00] The great pyramids. And all of the. The great things that mankind has accomplished. Millennia ago. Without.

[12:12] Modern architecture. Without modern equipment. Without power equipment. And we wonder. There are certain things. That builders today. That architects today.

[12:23] Say we have absolutely. No clue how they did it. Matter of fact. We don't even know if we can do it today. What does that tell us?

[12:35] That God gave. So much. Potential. To mankind. And he. The mind. Has so much potential. We have been created. With the ability to receive.

[12:48] Wisdom. Matter of fact. Our capacity to reason. Is what separates us from the animal. Animals. Pretty much. Live in the moment. They're hungry. If they're hungry. They eat. If they're afraid.

[12:59] They fight back. And they basically. Live in the moment. And they don't think about the ramifications of their decisions. Two or three days later. But as human beings.

[13:11] We have that capacity. We have that ability. We have been created. In the image of God. And what Proverbs does. Is. It. Instructs us. In understanding God.

[13:22] And understanding God's plan for his people. That's why God gave us. His word. In order for us to understand him. To have a. Clip. Into. Who God is. How to.

[13:34] Love him. Completely. How to. Live for him. And how to honor. And please. Him. And what Proverbs does. Is. It enables us.

[13:45] To grasp the meanings. Of justice. And fairness. Now what the world looks at. As fairness. And what the world looks at justice.

[13:57] Is not necessarily. God's definition. Of fairness. And justice. But the book Proverbs. Helps us to. To glean that wisdom.

[14:08] And to understand the way. God's mind works. In. How. We are to. Interact. With each other. How to.

[14:18] To live a life. That is. Frugal. How to live a life. That is. Honoring. And pleasing to him. How to get along.

[14:29] With one another. How to deal with. With good. When we borrow something. And all that. Wisdom. Is. In. Proverbs. How are these purposes.

[14:42] Demonstrated. In our lives. Well. First thing. We see. Verses 5. And 6. The profit. From Proverbs. What do we get from it? What do we profit. From Proverbs. With understanding.

[14:54] Understanding. Better. How. How. Life. Life. Talks. Works. And how. Life. Works. Look at verse 5. A wise man. A person who. Wants to be wise.

[15:05] A person who is wise. Will hear. And increase. Still learning. Ever known. Someone. That. Here's. All kinds. Of wise counsel. But doesn't learn from it.

[15:17] And continues. To make the same. Four choices. Over. And over. And over again. What does the Bible call that person? A fool. But the Bible says.

[15:29] A wise person. Will hear. And will learn from it. Will increase. Learning. And a man of understanding. Will attain. Wise. Counsel.

[15:40] Verse 6. To understand. A proverb. And an enigma. Something that is difficult. To understand. Like a riddle. The words of the wise. And their.

[15:51] Riddles. So someone who. Is wise. Has the wisdom of God. Does everyone. Always tell the truth.

[16:03] No. No. So if someone. Is. Trying to get. One over. On. A wise person. Will be able to.

[16:15] Read between the lines. A wise person. Will. Have the wherewithal. To say. Now wait a minute. Let me think about that. And let me. Look at the totality.

[16:25] Of the circumstances. And. Read your body language. Read what you're saying. And. There are so many scams. That are out there today. There's a new phone scam. Out there. Right now.

[16:35] That. That. That. That someone. Claiming to be a deputy sheriff. With. Calvary. Parish. Says that. You didn't show up. For court. And. You're about to be arrested.

[16:47] But they'll meet you somewhere. And you can take care of it. And they'll ask you for your address. And what they want is they want money. They won't be able to. Get your identity.

[16:57] Or get something from you. So there's always a scam. Where someone. Says. Congratulations. You have won. Whatever. I won a lottery. You've won. A trip to.

[17:09] Yeah. Can't Siberia. Cancun. Or whatever. And when we. All we need. All we need. Is. Your credit card information.

[17:20] So we can lock. This. Winning. In. And what do they do? They take. And they charge a whole lot of money. In your credit card. And you never get from them again. And it's from. From some cell phone provider.

[17:31] In India. Somewhere. And so. So. A person with wisdom. Can understand. And can understand. The things that are going. We see life. And have a better worldview.

[17:43] When we understand. Wisdom. We can gain. Understanding. Wise ones. Give priority. To learning. A wise person.

[17:53] Will listen. To wise counsel. You realize that. We're never. As wise. As we potentially could be. There's always some. There's always some. Some new wisdom. That we can learn from God.

[18:04] There's always something. New. That the Bible can teach us. There's always. Something. That someone. That the Holy Spirit. Will reveal to someone. That he has not revealed to you yet. And you say.

[18:15] What do you think about. And they say. Well. I believe. God. Says. This. In this word. Only. And then we need. Their wise counsel.

[18:27] And. We end up. With a much. Better. Life. So. They gain. They gain. They gain. They gain. They gain. They gain. They gain. They gain. They gain. By listening. To. Life's counsel. Those who. Are wise. Find the key.

[18:38] To life's mysteries. Like. Getting along. With your spouse. Like getting your children. To obey you. They find the keys.

[18:48] To life's mysteries. And so many people. May. Well that. I wish they had written a book. On this or that. But probably have. But unless it came. From God's wisdom. It may not be.

[18:59] The best wisdom. Back in the. What was it? In the 50's. Dr. Spock. Wrote about. Child rearing. Guess what? He got it all wrong. Because.

[19:11] He didn't take it. He didn't get it. From. The word. Of God. And it wasn't dispensing. God's. Wisdom. So. They know how to interpret. The counsel of.

[19:21] Teachers. Prophecies. Are opened up. To their understanding. Better. To be able to better understand. What God says. And also.

[19:32] A wise person. Lives in light. Inside the times. We realize. That we look out. And see. All this going on. Wars. Are increasing.

[19:44] Unrest. Across the world. Is. Is. Increasing. The Middle. The Middle East. Will never. Truly. Have peace. And. As we look. At. See the signs. Of the times.

[19:55] We'll never. And have wisdom. Gain God. We'll never. You'll never see. You know what? We shouldn't. Despair. Because. God's. Got it all. Under control. Things will get bad.

[20:06] Things will get worse. But. God. Has got. Everything. Under control. So we can see. The signs. Of the times. We see. How people. Or. We see.

[20:16] How. Things that are. Wrong. Are. Deem. Right. We see. That. What is. Right. Is. Frowned upon. And. Called. Wrong. That's.

[20:27] The way. Society. Is. Now. The further. We get. From God. The more. Unrest. And the more. Wickedness. We will see.

[20:38] Around us. In the world. And then. Verse 7. Person. In Proverbs. You see. Proverbs. Is not about. Solomon. The word.

[20:50] God. Is not about. King David. Is not about. Paul. Is not about. Any other. Bible. Character. Is. About. God.

[21:01] These. Were simply. Human beings. That God. Used. In his. Plan. And we are. Individuals. That God. Uses. In his. Plants. As a person. In Proverbs.

[21:13] Is God. Look at. Verse 7. With me. As we're. Continuing on. In chapter 1. What's the beginning. Of knowledge. Fear of the Lord. Fear of God.

[21:24] Reverential all. Realize that God. Is God. And he deserves. Our. Worship. He is worthy. Of our. Praise. So the fear of the Lord. Is the beginning. Of knowledge.

[21:35] But what do fools do. Oh. I don't need all that. That. That violent stuff. That's not for me. And then they go on. And live out of wisdom. Of the world.

[21:45] And realize. That it does not. Pay the dividends. That it promises. And so. Fools. Reject. The wisdom of God. And. We gain wisdom.

[21:57] Through a. Relationship. With God. The fear of the Lord. Is the beginning. Of. Knowledge. Knowledge. Begins. With the fear of God.

[22:08] And you see. We become wise. Through a relationship with him. Because we have the Holy Spirit. What is the Holy Spirit called? It's called a teacher. It's called a guide.

[22:20] And so as we. Allow the Holy Spirit. As we. Live a life. Surrender. To God's Holy Spirit. To allow him. To teach us. Through his word. Through. The.

[22:31] Through our conscience. Through a. A sanctified conscience. It's a conscience. That has been. Bought. And transformed. By the renewing. Of the word of God. We're able to. Gain.

[22:42] Wisdom. Through that. Relationship. With him. And the fear of the Lord. As we said. Is that reverential. Trust. In him. If God says it.

[22:53] We can rest upon it. And we can live. Our life. Based upon that. As we. Think about it. This way. Wisdom. Is Christ.

[23:05] Personified. Christ. Is the source of wisdom. He. Is. Wisdom. If. When you. When you read. We're not going to. Turn there.

[23:15] Today. But if you read. Proverbs 8. Proverbs 8. Wisdom. Is. Personified. Wisdom. Is. Given.

[23:26] Human. Traits. So to speak. In chapter 8. Proverbs. Does not. Wisdom. Cry out. And understanding. Lift up. Her voice. And so we see.

[23:37] In chapter 8. That wisdom. Is. Is personified. And let's take a look at. Paul's. As we. We come down. Wind down. To a close. Paul's declaration.

[23:47] Of this. Truth. In Colossians 2. Verses 2. And 3. Colossians chapter 2. Verses 2. And 3. And. Paul.

[23:58] In his. In his prayer. Here. About the Colossians. Says that their hearts. May be encouraged. Being knit together. In love. And attaining to all.

[24:10] Riches. Of the full assurance. Of understanding. To the knowledge. Of the mystery. Of God. Both of the father. And of Christ. Now. When we see.

[24:21] Verse 3. Paul takes. What's solid. In his teaching. In his proverbs. And he. What the apostle Paul does. Is he.

[24:32] Binds all that up. In one individual. In whom. All the wisdom. All of the understanding. In whom. Are hidden. All the treasures.

[24:44] Of wisdom. And knowledge. In Christ. And what we see. Is. Paul's praying. That Colossian believers. Would.

[24:55] Be encouraged. Would be. Knit together. In love. So that everything. They did. Was. Was. A process. That. That came. From.

[25:05] Love. And so. When they spoke. To each other. When they encouraged. One another. When they. Had a disagreement. With one another. Their. Conflict. Resolution. Would be born.

[25:16] Out of love. Not out of. Self. Self. Selfishness. Or spite. No. They would want to resolve. Their conflict. Because they love. One another. Like a family.

[25:26] You may have disagreements. But because you love. One another. You have a common purpose. And a common goal. You work. Things out. We should be. Working. Things out. And that they would.

[25:37] Attain to all. They would come. Into. A full understanding. Of the riches. And the knowledge. Of the mystery. Of God. The father. And of Christ. And it's in Christ.

[25:48] Are hidden. That is hidden. All the treasures. Of wisdom. And knowledge. To those who will be wise. Those who want to be wise. We've got a lot of people.

[25:59] Who have a lot of education. But if you really want to be wise. You need to have. A relationship with Jesus Christ. So if someone comes to you.

[26:11] And says. Hey. What do you think about this. And they're asking you for a counsel. Could be a marriage relationship. Could be. Teenagers. It could be anything. And bottom line.

[26:25] You're never wrong. By giving them. The wisdom. Of. You really want to know. How to live. God can help you.

[26:37] If you. If you trust Christ. As your savior. God will. Give to you. This Holy Spirit. The spirit of wisdom.

[26:48] And understanding. And so true wisdom. Starts. With light of Christ. And so. As we're sharing our faith.

[26:59] Sharing the gospel. As we are. Encouraging others. To look to Christ. That's where wisdom. Truly begins. With those who will be wise. Or receive.

[27:09] The wise one. By. Faith. As we. And. Mind is done. With what was we think. Of Matthew. Chapter number seven. The wise man.

[27:20] Built his house. Upon what? A solid rock. On a solid rock. And we see. We know. That the rock. Is none other than that. Jesus Christ. So we want to be wise.

[27:31] Build your life. On the rock. Build your life. Upon Christ. Build your life. Upon the wisdom. In the Father. Build. Let's build our lives. Upon the wisdom.

[27:41] Of God's word. Now. Here. I'll give you a challenge. I trust that many of you. And I know many of you. Are reading through God's word. Every year. You've taken a Bible reading plan.

[27:52] Whether it's. Through a hard day to read. Or through. It's one of your Bible. Apps. On your phone. Whatever plan you choose. I know many of you. Are reading through the Bible. In a year.

[28:02] But. I want to challenge you. With another. Some of you have already done this. I know. Some of you may already be doing this. Some of you may have never tried. But this is it. There are 31 Proverbs. How many days in.

[28:15] Most months. Many months. 31. There are 30 days. You read one Proverbs. Or you read. You read. Two Proverbs in a day. So here's the thing. On. June the 1st.

[28:26] On. June the 1st. Take Proverbs. Read. Proverbs 1. June the 2nd. Read. Proverbs 2. Or you can start today. Start tomorrow. Whenever you start.

[28:38] Read Proverbs 1. They're not that long. They don't take that long. to read. But read it for understanding. Read it for listening. Thank God. Teach me. God help me to understand.

[28:49] How to. Live a better life. God help me to understand. How to treat my family. God help me to understand. How to treat my. My money. God help me to understand.

[29:00] How to treat people. God help me. Understand. How to live out. Your wisdom. Read the Proverbs a day. Now. They say. Now. A little day. We'll keep the doctor away.

[29:11] A little Proverbs a day. And you may. You fill in the rest. But. A Proverbs a day. Will truly help. And so. So. Many ways. Christ.

[29:21] Is the rock. Let's build. Our lives on him. Let us pray. Mom this morning. We're so thankful. That. You've. Given. Solomon. The wisdom.

[29:32] That you gave him. That he is able to. In part. Get through us. To. Through this book. That. That you have. Sustained. And you have.

[29:43] Kept. For us. Until. Even today. Well. Help us to learn. Help us to be able to. Apply. The wisdom. In your word.

[29:54] To our lives. To. Every area. Of our lives. We thank you. Father. For. The state. That you have. In our lives. That Jesus.

[30:05] Christ. Gave. His very life. For us. Father. May we live. A life for you. May we live. A thank you life. Each. And every day.

[30:18] For I thank you. For each one. Here today. For each family. We're represented. For those. Who are traveling. On the road. I pray. For their safety. I pray. For those. Who are able. To be here. For whatever reason. Father. We ask.

[30:28] That you bless them. We ask. That you encourage them. Bring us all. Back together. As the body. Of Christ. As we worship. Father. We thank you.

[30:38] For the praise. For the praise. In Jesus. May we pray. Amen. Let's all stand. thanks for all of you.